I send a semi-daily email delivering insights into leadership in exponential times. For entrepreneurs, corporate irritants and change makers. Raw, unfiltered and opinionated. It is called The Heretic and here is the dispatch from 2015-10-23:

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FIVE GOALS

Warren Buffett, the brilliant billionaire investor, was once asked by his private pilot how he manages to be so successful given all the many, many demands and opportunities he has on his plate.

Contemplating this question, Warren asked the pilot to create a list with all his goals; all the things he wanted to achieve in his career.

The next day his pilot came back with a list of 25 goals. Things like “running my own flight school”, “flying around the world” and “creating a documentary“.

Warren then asked the pilot to circle the five goals which are most important to him. This was hard — as he had to make choices, weigh the trade-offs and really understand what is important to him and what is not. It took the pilot another day of contemplation.

When he came back with his list, Warren said: “Now focus solely on the five things you identified as the most important and ignore all the other things. As a matter of fact — the other list is your ‘NOT to do-list‘.”

This is one of the most powerful pieces of advice you can adhere to:

Identify the main thing and then make the main thing, the main thing. Pick five goals and relentlessly attack them. Only when you have conquered one to your satisfaction, can you allow yourself to add another goal.